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AUTHOR: 


MILLER,  J. 


TITLE: 


THE  BLESSING  OF 
CHEERFULNESS 

PLACE: 

NEW  YORK 

DA  TE : 

[1 895] 


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Original  Material  as  Filmed  -  Existing  Bibliographic  Record 


179.9 

■  • .  -» 


Miller,  James  Russell,  1840-1912. 

The  l)lessin^  of  cheorfulness,  ])y  J.  K.  Mil](M- 
]U)ston,  T.  Y.  Crowe II  .-v:  compaiiyVl805, 

32  p.    I8i"°. 


Now  Yoik, 


1.  Chwrfiiliu^s.  I.  Titlo. 


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THE    :     ;_ 


Blessing  of  Cheerfulness 


BY 


J.  R.  MILLER,  D.D. 

AUTHOR   OF    "  SILENT   TIMES,"    "  THE    BUILDING   OF    CHARACTER," 
"  SECRETS   OF   HAPPY    HOME   LIFE,"    ETC. 


"  O  do  net  tarry, 
But  bravely  carry 
Such  message  as  you  hear ; 
Haste  to  cheer  the  fainting  and  to  lessen  strife. 


TENTH  THOUSAND 


NEW  YORK :  46  East  Fourteenth  Street 

THOI\L\S  Y.  CROWELL  &  COMPANY 

BOSTON:   100  Purchase  Street 


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,  .  .  .*.  1..;  ;    : 


•    • 


:-\:^.::-  •   •••  •  •   • 


,,,  •••  


Copyright,  1895, 
By  Thomas  Y.  Cuowell  &  Company. 


TTPOGEAPHY  BT  C.  J.  PETEBS  &  SON, 

Boston. 


We  are  set  iu  this  world  to  be  liappy.  We 
should  not  falter  iu  our  great  task  of  happiness, 
nor  move  ever  among  our  fellows  with  shadows 
on  our  face  wlien  we  ought  to  have  sunlight. 

We  have  a  mission  to  others  —  to  add  to 
their  cheer.  This  we  cannot  do  unless  we  have 
first  learned  the  lesson  of  cheerfulness  ourselves. 
We  cannot  teach  what  we  do  not  know.  We 
cannot  give  what  we  do  not  have. 

In  this  little  book  a  lesson  is  set  for  you, 
my  reader.  It  may  seem  a  hard  lesson  to  learn; 
nevertheless,  it  is  one  you  want  to  learn,  and 
one  you  can  learn,  if  you  will  surrender  your 
life  wholly  to  the  great  Teacher. 


J.  R.  M. 


PlIlLADEr.rillA. 


*' 


Tliese  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  in  me  ye  may 
have  peace.  In  the  world  ye  have  tribulation:  but  be  of  yood 
cheer;  I  have  overcome  the  world. 

Jesi's  Cuuist. 

Some  inuriiiur  ivhen  their  sky  is  clear, 

And  wholly  briyht  in  view, 
If  one  small  speck  of  dark  appear 

In  their  yreat  heaven  of  blue ; 
And  some  with  thankful  love  arc  filed 

If  but  one  streak  of  liyht, 
One  ray  of  God's  good  mercy,  gild 

The  darkness  of  their  night. 

R.  C.  Trench. 

Every  life  is  meant 
To  help  all  lives;  each  man  should  live 
For  all  men^s  betterment. 

Alice  Gary. 


» »  •• » 


THE  BLESSING  OF  CHEERFULNESS, 


There  are  many  ways  in  which  we  may  bless 
others.  A  ministry  of  lielpf illness  is  a  perpetual 
benediction.  Of  course,  one  who  feeds  the  hun- 
gry, visits  and  relieves  the  sick,  the  poor,  and 
the  orphan,  and  comforts  sorrow,  is  a  blessing 
to  the  world.  One  who  uses  his  money  to  do 
good  is  a  blessing.  One  who  speaks  wholesome 
words  which  enter  other  lives,  and  influence,  guide, 
strengthen,  inspire,  or  enrich  them,  blesses  the 
race. 

But  can  one  be  a  blessing  merely  by  being 
clieerful  ?  Yes  ;  moral  beauty  of  any  kind  exerts 
a  silent  influence  for  good.  It  is  like  a  sweet 
flower  by  the  wayside,  which  has  a  benediction 
for  every  one  who  passes  by.  A  legend  tells 
how  one  day  in  Galilee  the  useful  corn  spurned 
the  lilies  because  they  fed  no  one's  hunger.  "One 
cannot  earn  a  living  just  by  being  sweet,"  said 
the  proud  cereal.  Tlie  lilies  said  nothing  in  reply, 
only  seemed  the  sweeter.  Then  the  INFaster  came 
that  way ;  and  while  his  disciples  rested  at  his 

5 


•    .• 


•  •• 


•  •     • 


•::'g:*-':Vir'L'xiss/JVG  of  cueehfulness. 


••• 
••• 


■;.Wvf&Ki"-t1i^*i'nstlirig  corn  invited  them  to  eat, 

.'he.wV*.'--'p;i^Ure^  tlie   life  is  more  than  meat. 

V^cr^i{feV\i:e'h*Ues,  how    beautiful    they   grow.'^ 

It  certainly  seemed  worth  while  then  just  to  be 

sweet,  for  it  pleased  the  Master. 

We  measure  values  by  the  standard  of  utility, 
but  we  cannot  always  take  the  full  measure  of 
utility.  Physical  relief  or  comfort  is  not  the  only 
help  one  may  give  another.  There  is  utility 
which  acts  on  the  spirit,  and  makes  one  stronger, 
braver,  more  hopeful.  Can  we  say  that  such 
usefulness  means  less  than  when  one  gives  a  loaf 
of  bread  to  one  who  is  hungry,  or  a  cup  of  water 
to  one  who  is  thirsty? 

Every  one  carries  an  atmosphere  about  him. 
It  may  be  healthful  and  invigorating,  or  it  may 
be  unwholesome  and  depressing.  It  may  make 
a  little  spot  of  the  world  a  sweeter,  better,  safer 
place  to  live  in  ;  or  it  may  make  it  harder  for 
those  to  live  worthily  and  beautifully  who  dwell 

within  its  circle. 

We  are  responsible  for  this  atmosphere.  Our 
influence  may  be  involuntary  in  its  final  effect. 
We  cannot  wholly  change  it  from  evil  to  good  on 
any  particular  day  by  a  mere  volition.  It  is  some- 
thing that  belongs  to  our  personality.  It  is  an 
emanation  from  our  character;  and  our  character 
is  the  growth   of   all  our   years,  what   has  been 


THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS.        7 

built  up  in  us  by  all  the  lessons,  experiences,  im- 
pressions, and  influences  of  life,  from  childhood. 
Hence  it  is  that  the  atmosphere  that  hangs  about 
us  any  day  is,  in  a  large  degree,  involuntary. 

At  the  same  time  we  are  responsible  for  it. 
We  are  responsible  for  our  character  —  our  own 
hands  have  made  it  what  it  is.  If  a  man  has 
trained  himself  to  be  discontented  and  unhappy, 
so  that  wherever  he  goes  he  makes  others  about 
him  less  happy,  he  may  not  blame  heredity,  or 
original  sin,  or  environment,  for  his  unfortunate 
disposition.  ]S"o  doubt  natural  tendency  or  early 
influences  may  nuike  it  harder  for  a  man  to  be 
sweet-spirited  and  sunny-tempered;  but  because 
it  is  hard  to  be  good,  because  there  is  much  to 
overcome,  one  need  not  give  up  the  endeavor  as 
useless  and  unavailing. 

Cheerfulness,  therefore,  is  a  duty.  Perhaps  we 
have  not  thought  of  it  in  this  way.  AVe  regard 
it  as  a  pleasant  disposition.  AVe  consider  the  per- 
son happily  endowed  who  is  naturally  cheerful. 
But  we  do  not  usually  put  cheerfulness  among 
duties,  as  we  do  truthfulness,  honesty,  patience, 
kindness. 

We  speak  much  of  the  duty  of  making  others 
happy.  No  day  should  pass,  we  say,  on  which 
we  do  not  put  a  little  cheer  into  some  discouraged 
heart,  make  the  path  a  little  smoother  for  some 


8 


THE  BLESSING   OF  CIIEEBFULNESS. 


one's  tired  feet,  or  lielp  some  fiiiiiting  robin  unto 
its  nest  again.  This  is  right.  AVe  cannot  put  too 
great  empliasis  upon  the  duty  of  giving  happiness 
and  cheer  to  otliers.  But  it  is  no  less  a  duty  tliat 
we  should  be  happy  and  cheerful  ourselves. 

It  was    the    great    Teadier   himself   ^vho    said, 
^•'Be  of   good   cheer.^^     He    said   it   in    substance 
many  times.     He  counselled  his  followers  against 
anxiety.      He  showed  his  friends  an   example  of 
cheerfulness.      Some  people  have  the  impression 
that  Jesus  was  a  sad  man.     He  was  indeed  a  man 
of  sorrows,  but  his  face  was  always  radiant  with 
the  light  of  an  inner  joy.     He  never  cast  a  shadow 
on  any  other  life.     Artists,  in  their  pictures  of  the 
infancy,    represent   the    Christ-child   as    shc^dding 
forth  a  soft,  quiet  light,  which  brightens  the  \mZ 
ble  surroundings.     Always  from  the  Christ,  wher- 
ever he  moved,  light  streamed.     His  life  was  full 
of  cheer.     Ko  one  ever  felt  depressed  from  coming 
into  his  presence.      On   the    contrary,   every  one 
who  looked  into  his  face  and  heard  his  words  was 
made  happier  for  the  time. 

Then  his  teachings  were  all  towards  the  same 
spirit.  It  is  supposed  by  some  that  religion  makes 
people  solemn,  takes  the  sunshine  out  of  their 
life,  the  joy  out  of  their  heart,  the  song  out  of 
their  mouth.  But  the  reverse  of  this  is  the  truth. 
JS^o  other  one  in  the  world  has  such  secrets  of  joy 


THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS. 


9 


as  has  the  Christian.  Christ  teaches  his  followers 
to  rejoice.  He  bids  them  rejoice  even  in  sorrow 
and  trial. 

It  would  have  been  of  no  avail,  however,  merely 
to  command  them  to  be  of  good  cheer,  if  he  had 
not  put  sources  of  joy  within  their  reach.  He  did 
not  remove  sorrow  and  pain  out  of  their  lives ; 
rather,  he  said,  '•  In  the  world  ye  have  tribulation." 
Nor  does  this  religion  benumb  and  deaden  human 
sensibilities,  so  that  Christ's  friends  do  not  feel 
grief  and  trial  as  the  world's  people  do.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  makes  the  heart  more  tender,  so  that 
it  suffers  even  more  keenly  from  the  sorrows  of 
life  than  does  the  heart  unsoftened  by  divine  love. 
The  secret  of  joy  which  Christ  gives  we  learn 
from  his  own  words  —  the  last  words  spoken  in 
the  upper  room,  as  he  led  his  disciples  out  toward 
Gethsemane  :  '•  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto 
you,  that  in  me  3'e  may  have  peace.  In  the  world 
ye  have  tribulation  :  but  be  of  good  cheer ;  I  have 
overcome  the  world." 

It  is  in  the  last  of  these  great  words  that  we 
have  the  secret  of  the  good  cheer  which  he  com- 
mands. ''  I  have  overcome  the  world."  He  met 
the  world  in  all  its  terrific  power,  and  was  victorious 
over  it  at  every  point.  Thus  he  became  able  to 
be  our  refuge  in  all  the  world's  strife.  ^'  These 
things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  in  me  ye  may 
have  peace." 


10       TUE  BLESSING  OF  CUEERFULyESS. 


The  all-victorious  Clirist  is  like  a  great  rock  iu  a 
weary  land,  to  whose  shelter  we  may  flee  iu  every 
time  of  sorrow  or  trial,  finding  quiet  refuge  and 
jjeace  in  him.  There  is  a  word  in  an  old  prophet 
which  tells  all  the  story.  ''  Thou  wilt  keep  him 
in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  thee  ; 
because  he  trusteth  in  thee.  Trust  ye  in  the 
Lord  forever;  for  in  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  an  ever- 
lasting rock —  a  rock  of  ages."  We  have  hints  of 
the  meaning  of  these  words  in  some  rare  human 
friendships.  Here  and  there  is  a  man  who  seems 
like  a  fragment  of  the  rock  of  ages  to  those  who 
trust  in  him.  When  other  friendships  fail,  he  still 
stands  constant  and  true.  You  are  always  sure 
of  him.  You  turn  to  him  in  your  weakness  and 
danger,  and  you  find  strength  and  refuge  in  him. 
His  love  •'  balms  like  summer  warmth  the  sting 
of  tears,  the  ache  of  sorrow,  the  shy,  cold  hurts 
which  sting  and  smart,  the  frets  and  cares  which 
underrun  the  dull  day  and  the  dreaded  morrow." 
In  his  presence  dark  things  seem  light,  and  however 
heavy  your  burden,  you  feel  you  can  go  on  bearing 
it  after  seeing  him.  In  the  atmosphere  of  his  love 
your  heart's  wounds  receive  healing. 

The  secret  of  such  a  human  friendship  lies  in 
the  calm,  secure  strength  of  the  life.  It  is  like  a 
rock  in  its  firmness,  its  security,  its  immovableness. 
This  quality  has  been  gotten  through  conflicts  and 


THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS.      11 


sorrows  in  which  the  spirit  has  been  victorious. 
This  friend  has  met  the  w^orld,  and  has  overcome 
it ;   has  been  tried,  and  has  not  failed. 

In  such  a  rare  human  friendship  we  have  a  hint 
of  what  Christ  means  when  he  says  to  his  disciples  : 
<'In  me  ye  may  have  peace."  He  has  overcome 
all  the  world's  evil,  and  stands  in  the  midst  of  the 
world's  broad  desert  plains,  wdiere  storms  sweep 
and  heat  oppresses.  AVe  can  all  flee  to  him  and 
find  refuge.  All  hurts  are  indeed  soothed  in  him. 
AVhen  he  comes,  night  turns  to  day,  heaviest 
burdens  seem  light,  hardest  tasks  become  easy. 
In  the  Avorld  we  have  tribulations;  but  he  has 
overcome  the  world,  and  in  him  w^e  have  peace. 
Thus  he  gives  us  reason  for  his  counsel  :  "Be  of 
good  cheer." 

It  is  the  privilege  of  every  friend  of  Christ  to 
be  of  good  cheer,  no  matter  what  the  circum- 
stances of  his  life  may  be.  Privilege  makes  duty. 
AYe  ought  always  to  be  cheerful.  We  ought  to 
carry  music  in  our  heart  and  the  light  of  joy  in 
our  face  w^herever  we  go,  in  w^hatsoever  experi- 
ences we  find  ourselves. 

The  fact  is,  however,  that  not  all  Christians  are 
cheerful  at  all  times,  in  all  circumstances.  Some 
are  scarcely  ever  cheerful  —  are  indeed  habitually 
uncheerful.  Others  are  cheerful  at  times,  when 
the  sun  shines,  while  all  things  go  well  w4th  them ; 


12       THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS. 


l)ut  the  li^lit  fa(n  ,.  out  of  Uumv  faces  avIiou  clouds 
gather  iuhI  storms  iirise.  If  cheerfulness  is  a 
Christian  duty,  we  oui,dit  to  learn  it.  How,  then, 
can  \vt'  Icaiii  to  be  of  .^dod  clicer  cvcti  in  times 
of  sorrow  and  trouble  ? 

For  one  thini;-,  we  must  remend)er  that  cheer- 
fulness has  In  br  learned.  It  does  not  come 
natural! \-.  Tlu'  ciu  cfulness  which  coim  .;  naturally 
is  not  that  which  our  iVI aster  bids  us  to  have.  AVe 
are  to  be  of  good  cheer  in  tribulation,  and  tliis 
certainly  is  not  a  natural  exiicricncc.  Xor  does 
Christian  cheerfulness  come  as  a  direct  gift  from 
God  Avhon  we  become  Christians.  All  the  line 
things  in  Christian  nurture  and  Christian  culture 
have  t(»  1h'  learned.  Even  d«siis  himself  '•  learned 
obedience  by  the  things  which  he  suffered."  When 
he  was  an  old  man,  St.  Paul  wrote  in  a  letter  to 
some  of  his  friends  that  he  had  learned  in  whatso- 
ever state  he  was  therein  to  be  content.  It  is  a 
comfort  to  us  to  think  that  Paul  was  not  always 
thus  contented,  that  he  had  to  learn  the  lesson, 
and  that  it  had  taken  him  a  long  while  to  learn  it. 

We  all  have  to  learn  the  lessons  of  beautiful 
living.  Life  is  a  school,  and  God  is  continually  set- 
ting new  lessons  for  us.  George  Mac  Donald  says: 
^'  Till  a  man  has  learned  to  be  happy  without  the 
sunshine,  and  therein  becomes  capable  of  enjoying 
it  perfectly,   it   is    well   that  the  sliiue  and   the 


THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS.      13 


shadow  should  be  mingled,  as  God  only  knows 
how  to  mingle  them."  When  we  find  ourselves 
facing  some  unpleasant  duty  or  in  the  presence  of 
a  new  trial  or  sorrow,  we  should  not  forget  that  it 
is  another  lesson  set  for  us.  If  it  is  hard,  that 
shows  it  is  a  lesson  we  have  not  yet  perfectly 
learned.  We  must  not  be  discouraged  if  cheerful- 
ness is  not  easy  for  us.  AVe  have  to  learn  it,  and 
it  may  take  us  a  good  while. 

If  we  would  learn  the  lesson,  we  must  abide  in 
Christ.  'vin  me  ye  may  have  peace,"  he  says. 
AVe  can  never  get  the  peace  in  any  other  way.  If 
we  are  truly  experiencing  the  friendship  of  Christ, 
we  shall  find  the  inner  joy  increasing  just  as  the 
outer  lights  grow  dim.  Here,  again,  human  friend- 
ship helps  us  to  understand  the  divine.  You  walk 
with  a  friend  for  years  in  close,  familiar  relations, 
finding  every  day  some  new  revealing  of  beauty. 
But  as  yet  you  have  had  only  joy  and  prosperity. 
One  day  sorrow  enters  your  life.  lu  the  new 
experience  you  find  qualities  in  your  friend's  love 
which  you  had  never  perceived  before.  It  took 
suffering  in  you  to  bring  out  the  rich  things 
of  sympathy,  tenderness,  and  comfort  which  were 
all  the  while  in  reserve  in  his  life. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  divine  love.  AA^e  never 
can  know  its  best  things  until  we  enter  the 
shadows   of    sorrow.      Our    great    Teacher    said, 


r 


14       THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS. 

"Blessed  are  they  that  mourn."  This  seems  in- 
deed a  strange  beatitude.  IJut  to  those  Avho  have 
learned  its  meaning  it  is  no  longer  strange. 
There  are  blessings,  rich,  deep,  and  satisfying, 
which  ^ve  never  can  know  until  Ave  mourn.  You 
would  never  see  the  stars  if  the  sun  continued 
to  shine  through  all  the  twenty-four  hours.  It 
would  be  a  loss,  too,  to  any  one  if  he  were  to  pass 
through  all  the  years  of  his  human  life  and  never 
once  behold  night's  sky  with  its  brilliant  orbs. 
We  can  then  say,  '•  Blessed  is  the  hour  when  the 
sun  goes  rlmvn  and  it  grows  dark;  for  then  \sc  r,ee 
the  glory  oi  heaven's  stars."  Mary  G.  Slocum 
writes  :  — 


"Across  my  day  the  shadows  creeping 
Brought  tlie  unwelcome  niglit; 
The  distant  hills,  the  last  gleams  keeping 

Of  dear,  familiar  light, 
Slowly  became  a  darkened  wall  around,  and  soon 
The  world,  with  all  its  loved  and  wonted  sights,  was 
gone. 

Ah,  light  that  made  such  sweet  revealing, 

That  showed  this  world  so  brisrht. 
You  gave  no  hint  you  were  concealing 

The  greater  wealth  of  night! 
For  now,  above  and  far  beyond  the  hills,  appear 
Ten  thousand  worlds  I  did  not  dream  before  were 
here. 


I  ;■ 


THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS.      15 

O  day,  for  which  I  made  such  grieving  — 

Though  now  more  dear  the  night  — 
May  life  not  be  like  you,  deceiving 

And  blinding  to  my  sight  ? 
As  once  the  light  hid  all  except  this  world  from  me, 
Is  life  obscuring  by  its  glare  eternity  ?" 

This   is   a  parable.     The   glare    of   human   joy 
hides  from  our  sight  ten  thousand  blessings  which 
we  cannot  see  until  it  grows  dark  about  us.     And 
it  would  be  a  dire  loss  to  live  through  all  our  days 
and    never  see  these   blessings.     There  are    hun- 
dreds of  Bil)le  words  which  seem  pale  and  without 
meaning    in   the    time   of    earthly    gladness,   but 
which   come    out  bright   and    shining    like    stars 
when  the  darkness  comes  on.     You  had  no  need 
for  divine  comfort  when  you  had  no  sorrow ;  and 
a  great  part  of  the  Bible  was  as  yet  an  unopened 
book  to  you,  for  a  large  portion  of  it  consists  of 
comfort  for  those  in  trouble.     But  when  the  sor- 
row came,  the  words  flashed  out  like  stars  at  night, 
unseen  by  day.      Thus  we  learn  the  meaning  of 
the  beatitude,  "Blessed  are  they  that  mourn,  for 
they  shall  be  comforted."     We  lose  some  joys,  but 
we  find  others  that  were  hidden  in  the   light  of 
those  we  lost.     Where  earth's  tapers  burned  with 
only  flickering  light,  heaven's  lamps  now  shine. 
Where  the  human  face  shone  in  its  gentle  grace, 
the  face  of  Christ  now  looks  upon  us  in  its  divine 


16       TUB  BLESSING   OF  CHEEllFULNESS. 

yearning.  AYliere  we  leaned  upon  a  liuman  arm, 
often  trembling,  at  last  broken,  we  find  now,  in- 
stead, the  everlasting  arm.  Thus  Avhen  we  abide 
in  Christ  the  light  of  his  love  is  revealed  as 
human  joys  pale.  The  deeper  the  earthly  dark- 
ness, the  richer  are  the  divine  comforts  wliich  are 
given  to  us,  enabling  us  to  be  of  good  cheer  Avhat- 
ever  the  tribulation. 

It  will  help  us  in  learning  the  lesson  of  cheer- 
fulness if  we  persistently  train  ourselves  to  see 
the  good  things,  the  bright  things,  in  our  common 
life.  There  are  some  people  who  seem  to  have 
eyes  only  for  the  unpleasant  things.  They  find 
every  bit  of  roughness  and  hardness  in  their  daily 
path.  They  see  at  once,  and  see  it  magnified, 
every  disagreeable  thing  that  comes  into  their  life. 
They  remember  all  the  unhappy  experiences  they 
have  ever  had.  They  keep  on  their  heart's  walls 
the  i^ictures  of  all  their  vanished  joys  and  faded 
hopes.  They  write  with  a  diamond  on  their  -win- 
dow panes  the  records  of  all  the  trials,  adversities, 
and  misfortunes  they  have  ever  suffered.  Hut, 
on  the  other  hand,  they  forget  all  their  blessings. 
They  hang  up  no  pictures  of  the  joys  they  did  not 
lose,  which  have  filled  their  life  on  so  many  bright 
days.  They  have  no  memory  for  the  beautiful 
things,  the  things  of  gladness. 

There  are  few  habits  more  common^  even  among 


TUE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS.      17 

Christians,  than  this  of  remembering  the  unpleas- 
ant things  and  forgetting  the  pleasant  things  ;  and 
there  is  no  other  habit  which  is  more  inimical  to 
joy.  He  who  would  always  be  of  good  cheer  must 
break  this  habit  —  if  it  has  fastened  itself  in  his 
life  —  and  must  learn,  must  train  himself,  to  see 
the  beautiful  things  and  to  be  blind  to  the  disa- 
greeable thim^s.  The  truth  is,  there  are,  in  the 
ordinary  life,  a  thousand  pleasant  things  —  favors, 
joys,  comforts,  things  to  cheer  — to  one  unpleas- 
ant thing,  one  real  cause  for  unhappiness.  It  is  a 
shame,  therefore,  to  let  the  one  bit  of  roughness, 
trial,  or  suffering  spoil  all  the  gladness  of  the 
thousand  blessings,  the  one  discordant  note  mar 
all  the  music  of  the  grand  symphony.  We  should 
learn  to  look  at  life,  not  to  find  misery  and  dis- 
comfort in  it,  but  to  find  cheer  and  beauty. 

Two  people  in  the  same  house,  looking  out  at 
the  same  windows,  on  the  same  things,  will  see 
things  in  such  very  different  ways  that  one  shall 
be  made  unhappy  and  wretched,  while  the  other  is 
made  to  rejoice  and  sing.  There  is  a  suggestive 
story  of  a  Christian  woman  who  moved  into  a  new 
flat,  which  was  not  conspicuous  for  its  cheerful 
surroundings  or  its  pleasant  outlook.  The  average 
woman  would  have  found  there  a  very  common- 
place shelter  from  the  snow  of  winter  and  the 
heat  and  rains  of  summer.     But  this  woman  was 


;r 


I 


18       THE  BLEiiSiyO   OF  CUEERFULNESS. 

happy  in  her  home.     One  day  a  friend  called  and 
was   asked    by   this   cheerful    housewife   to   note 
the  pleasant  outlook  she  had  from  her  window. 
"  Yes/^  said  the  visitor,  '•'  I  see  a  renuirkably  fine 
lot  of  chimneys  and  back  buildings."     '^  Chimneys 
and    back    buildings!''    exclaimed    the    hostess. 
''  Why,  I  never  saw  them  before.     I  looked  over 
all  that  you  see,  and  saw  those  magnificent  trees 
which  form  such  a  picturesque  line  on  the  horizon. 
I  thought  only  of  the  trees  and  the  glorious  sun- 
sets I  see  from  this  window." 

This  woman  had  learned  one  of  the  secrets  of 
being  of  good  cheer.     She  had  trained  herself  to 
see  out  of  her  winuuus  trees  and  sunsets  instead 
of  dingy  roofs,  black  chimney  tops,  and  unsightly 
back  buildings.       This  habit  made  all  the  world 
beautiful   for  her.      She    always    saw    loveliness 
whenever  she  looked  out.     She  was  blind  to  the 
unpleasant    sights    which    some   people    can   find 
everywhere,  even  in  a  garden  of  flowers  or  a  gallery 
of  paintings. 

He  who  has  learned  to  see  the  beauty  even  in 
things  unsightly,  the  good  in  things  evil,  the  en- 
couragement  in  things  discouraging,  the  comfort 
in  things  painful,  has  found  one  of  the  truest  and 
most  potent  secrets  of  cheerfulness.  Such  a  habit 
always  finds  something  bright  in  the  dreariest 
condition. 


^ 


TUE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS.      19 

"  There  are  nettles  everywhere, 
But  smooth  greeu  grasses  are  more  common  still ; 
The  bhie  of  heaven  is  larger  than  the  cloud." 


Another  secret  of  cheerfulness  is  found  in  the 
way  we  relate  ourselves  to  the  peo])le  about  us. 
There  are  many  persons  who  are  made  miserable 
by  what  others  do  or  do  not  do.  Their  neiglibors' 
faults  worry  them  a  great  deal  —  far  more  than 
their  own.  The  things  they  hear  about  others  vex 
them.  The  peculiarities  of  their  friends  and  their 
shortcomings  cause  them  great  annoyance.  The 
way  other  people  treat  them  —  their  bad  manners, 
their  lack  of  respect,  their  want  of  refinement, 
the  slights  and  discourtesies  they  detect  in  their 
bearing,  their  thoughtless  ways  — these  disagree, 
able  things   in  their   neighbors   give   them  much 

distress. 

Of  course  we  cannot  be  indifferent  to  what  we 
see  in  the  lives  about  us.  A  sensitive  spirit  is 
affected  by  whatever  passes  before  it.  In  a  home 
the  life  of  each  child  continually  gives  either  com- 
fort or  pain  to  a  parent's  heart.  Those  in  Avhom 
we  are  interested  in  our  community  or  among  our 
acquaintances  add  either  to  our  pleasure  or  our 
sorrow  by  the  way  they  live.  A  sympathetic 
heart  carries  the  burdens  and  griefs  of  many  lives. 
There  is  a  Avay  in  which  all  this  makes  misery, 


!: 


20       THE  BLESSING  OF  CHEERFULNESS. 


THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEEBFULNESS.      21 


and  there  is  a  way  in  which  it  may  be  made  to  add 
to  life's  cheerfulness.  If  we  look  upon  others 
critically,  censoriously,  to  mark  their  faults,  to 
judge  them,  to  think  and  say  severe  things  of  tlK^m, 
we  only  make  ourselves  wretched,  while  we  do 
them  no  good,  only  harm  instead.  But  if  we  look 
at  others  through  Christ-eyes,  then  even  the  things 
in  them  which  cause  us  pain  and  sorrow  become 
new  chances  of  joy  and  blessing  for  us. 

Charles  Kingsley  said :  ''  Each  man  can  learn 
something  from  his  neighljor ;  at  least  he  can  learn 
this  —  to  have  patience  with  his  neighbor,  to  live 
and  h't  live.''  No  doubt  this  is  one  of  the  lesstais. 
People  are  meant  to  be  means  of  grace  to  us.  We 
are  to  be  helped  by  our  contacts  with  them.  From 
some  wo  are  to  learn,  through  the  beautiful  things 
in  them,  their  excellences  of  character.  From  these 
we  get  inspiration.  Others  help  us  through  our 
sympathies.  They  appeal  to  our  thought  and  care. 
They  need  help.  AVe  must  carry  burdens  for 
them.  They  have  sorrows,  and  it  becomes  ours  to 
give  them  comfort.  They  are  in  need  or  distrciss, 
and  we  must  deny  ourselves  for  them.  The 
blessing  that  may  come  to  us  through  these  is  in- 
calculable. Every  human  sorrow  or  infirmity  that 
makes  its  appeal  to  us  is  a  new  chance  for  us  to  do 
a  beautiful  thing,  to  grow  in  Christlikeness.  Every 
new  burden  of  care   rolled   upon   us,   demanding 


^s 


self-denial,  sacrifice,  or  service,  carries  in  it  a  new 
blessing  for  iis,  if  only  we  will  accept  it. 

In  the  case  of  others,  it  is  unbeauty,  fault,  and 
sin  that  we  see  ;  but  here,  too,  lies  the  possibility  of 
help  for  us  in  our  contact  with  them,  if  we  relate 
ourselves  to  them  as  we  may.  They  furnish  us  an 
opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  the  loftiest  feelings 
of  sympathy  and  forbearance,  and  for  the  noblest 
efforts  to  lift  up  and  save. 

Christ  knew  the  secret  of  finding  joy  in  all  the 
lives  about  him.  Of  course  he  found  joy  in  the 
beautiful  things  he  saw  in  others.  This  is  a  secret 
we  sometimes  miss.  There  are  those  who  are 
made  envious  by  the  excellences  they  see  in  others, 
the  fine  things  in  their  life  and  character,  the 
noble  things  they  do.  It  would  seem  indeed  that 
one  of  the  qualities  most  rarely  found  among 
men  is  this  of  rejoicing  in  the  lovely  things  and 
the  attainments  and  successes  of  others.  Jesus 
found  j)leasure  in  every  beautiful  thing  he  saw 
in  men's  lives. 

Then  he  found  joy  for  his  own  heart  also  in 
those  who  were  in  distress  and  trouble.  We  never 
can  sound  the  depths  of  the  meaning  of  the  words 
which  tell  us,  '^  Himself  took  our  infirmities  and 
bare  our  sicknesses.''  Grief,  suffering,  and  sin 
stirred  his  profoundest  compassion.  Yet  even  these 
experiences  of  pain  were  turned  to  sources  of  joy 


li 


22       THE  BLESSING   OF  (JllEERFULNESS. 


as  lie  sought  to  help  and  bless  those  who  were 
thus  distressed. 

People  sometimes  wonder  how  a  physieian  can 
possibly  be  a  cheerful  man.  He  is  continually  in 
the  presence  of  pain  and  suffering.  Those  who 
come  to  him,  or  Avho  summou  him  to  their  bedside, 
are  all  in  some  way  in  distress.  KSeeing  mit.er\  all 
the  whih*,  how  can  he  ever  wear  a  smile,  or  bear  to 
his  home  anything  but  gloom  on  his  face  ?  The 
secret  lies  in  the  way  the  physician  looks  upon 
all  this  pain  and  misery.  He  is  present  as  a 
healer,  to  give  relief,  to  alleviate  pain;  and  this 
saves  him  from  the  suffering  which  mere  pity 
would  produce  in  him.  It  puts  joy  into  his  heart 
to  be  able  to  give  help.  Thus  it  was  that  Christ 
looked  upon  the  people  about  him.  Tliey  all  had 
their  sickntD.^co,  their  sorrows,  ilnAv  infirmities, 
and  their  sins  ;  but  he  was  in  the  world  to  be 
Healer,  Comforter,  Saviour,  and  found  joy  in 
doing  so. 

If  we  will  relate  ourselves  to  those  around  us  in 
this  Christ-way,  as  a  friend,  helper,  healer,  sa^ior, 
we  shall  escape  all  the  wretchedness  that  many 
persons  suffer  in  their  contacts  Avitli  tlie  lives  of 
others.  Then  our  thought  over  one's  faults  or  sins 
will  be,  "How  can  I  lead  this  man  out  of  his 
mistakes  and  wTong  doings  ?  How  can  I  do  him 
any  good,  and  help  him  to  overcome  his  faults  ?  " 


THE  BLESSING   OF  CUEERFULNESS. 


23 


We  must  learn  to  look  through  love's  eyes  at 
every  neighbor.  This  will  give  us  true  compassion, 
and  will  make  us  eager,  not  to  blame  and  con- 
demn, but  to  help  every  one  who  needs  help  of 

wdiatever  kind. 

Nothing  else  in  all  life  is  such  a  maker  of 
joy  and  cheer  as  the  privilege  of  doing  good. 
Kossuth  once  said :  '*'  If  I  had  to  choose  my  place 
among  the  forces  of  nature,  do  you  know  what 
I  would  choose  to  be  ?  I  would  be  the  dew 
that  falls  silently  and  invisibly  over  the  face  of 
nature,  trampled  underfoot  and  unconsidered,  but 
perpetually  blessing  and  refreshing  all  forms  of 
life."  It  is  in  such  losing  of  self  that  one  finds 
truest,  purest,  and  deepest  happiness.  One 
wTites  :  — 

"  If  I  can  five 
To  make  some  pale  face  brighter,  and  to  give 
A  second  lustre  to  some  tear-diunned  eye, 

Or  e'en  impart 
One  throb  of  comfort  to  an  aching  heart, 
Or  cheer  some  way-worn  soul  in  passing  by  — 


If  I  can  lend 
A  strong  hand  to  the  fallen,  or  defend 
The  right  against  a  single  envious  strain, 

My  life  though  bare. 
Perhaps,  of  much  that  seemeth  dear  and  fair 
To  us  of  earth,  will  not  have  been  in  vain. 


24       TIJE  BLESSING   OF  CHEEltFULNESS. 


THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS.      25 


The  purest  joy  — 
Most  near  to  heaven  — far  from  earth's  alloy, 
Is  bidding  cloud  give  way  to  sun  and  shine  ; 

And  -twill  be  well 
If  on  that  day  of  days  the  angels  tell 
Of  me,  '  She  did  her  best  for  one  of  thine.' 


1    5) 


These  are  hints  of  the  way  iu  which  the  lesson 
of  cheerfulness  can  be  learned.     It  is  a  lesson  we 
should  learn,  whatever  the  cost,     lie  who  carries 
about  with   him  a  cheerful   spirit   is  a   blessing 
wherever  he  goes.     We  have  no  right  to  go  among 
men  with  our  complaints  and  our  murmurings.     It 
is  part  of  the  debt  uf  luve  we  owe  to  our  fellow- 
men  to  bring  them  always  the  best  we  hav(^  :  not 
gloom  and  shadow  and  disheartenment,  but  cheer, 
hope,  and  joy.     We  are  commanded  to  be  lights  in 
the  world,  to  let  uui-  light  so  shine   before  men 
that  they  nuiy  see  our  good  works,  and  glorify  our 
Father  who  is  in  heaven.     There  is  no  light  in 
discontent,  complaining,  and   gloom;   and  we  are 
not  realizing  God's  thought  for  our  life  when  we 
let  shadows  hang  about  us.     We  should  hide  our 
pain,  our  sorrow,  our  trouble  in  our  own  heart, 
accepting    God's    b^^L■u■L,  comfort,   and   letting   the 
light  of  the  divine  peace  shine  in  our  face.     Then 
we  should  let  our  grief  become  inspiration  to  all 
loving  service.     Thus  do  we  get  the  victory  over 
our   loss  and  sorrow,   and    shed   the   blessing   of 
cheer  on  all  about  us.     Writes  one:  — 


"13 my  the  dead  thou  lovest, 
Deep,  deep  within  thy  heart; 
So  shall  they  live  and  love  thee 
Till  life  and  thou  shalt  part. 

So  for  their  risen  spirits 

Thy  breast  a  heaven  shall  be; 

Like  angels,  pure  and  shining, 
They  go  through  life  with  thee. 

Bury  the  life  thou  livest 

Deep  in  another's  heart; 
So  Shalt  thou  live  beloved 

When  cold  and  dead  thou  art." 

The  blessing  of   cheerfulness  is  manifold.      It 
blesses  the  man  himself.     It  is  a  fountain  of  life 
in  his  heart.     It  makes  him  strong  for  all   duty 
and  struggle.     Life  is   not  half  so  hard  for  the 
cheerful  man  as  it  is  for  the  man  who  is  depressed 
and  unhappy.      Burdens  are  light  when  one  can 
sing  under  them.     Battles   are  easily  won  when 
the  heart  is  glad.     Nothing  else  so  weakens  the 
life's    energy   as    discouragement.      It    hides    the 
stars  in  the  sky,  and  blots  the  blue  of  the  heavens 
with  blackness.     It  drives  hope  out  of  the  heart. 
Its  gloom  creeps  into  the  soul,  and  darkens  the 
eyes.      The  discouraged   man  sees  nothing  worth 
living  for  in  all  this  glorious  world.     The  natural 
drift  of  this    unliappy  feeling  is  toward  despon- 


26       THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS, 

dency  ami  despair.     AVe  have  uo  .ueniy  more  to 
be  dreaded  than  discouragement. 

But  cheerfulness   is   a   good   angel  to  the   man 
.vho  keeps  it  in  his  heart.     It  helps  him  to  be 
more  than  conqueror  in  the  struggle  of  life, 
who  is  ahvnvs  of  good  cheer  is  nmster  of  circum- 
stances anu  e.nditi.n.>.     Nothing  can  defeat  Inm. 
Cheerfulness  is  courage.      It  also  makes  the  life 
wholesome.     It  is  the  best  medicine  a  man  can 
take.     Says  the  wise  man  :  — 

''  A  meri7  heart  is  a  good  medicine  : 
But  a  brokon  spirit  drietli  up  tlie  bones." 

A  man  ^vllhout  cheerfulness  is  a  sick  man.     The 
sadness  of  his  spirit  lays  a  ^vithering  blight  on  all 
the  beauty  of  his  life.     He  becomes  prematurely 
old.      His    strength    decays.      '-'A    broken   spirit 
drieth  up  the  bones/'     But  cheerfulness  is  medi- 
cine       It  promotes  health.      Physicians  say  that 
a  cheerful  spirit  in  a  patient  is  a  large  factor  in 
the  cure  of  sickness.     One  who  admits  to  himself 
and  others  that  he  is  sick  is  indeed  si<d. ;  but  one 
who  declines  to  make  such  admission,  and  cheer- 
fully goes  on  as  if  he  were  well,  conquers  many 
an  ailment  which,  if  he  had  succumbed  to  it,  might 
have    proved   serious.      Cheerfulness    is   a   prime 
secret  of  health.     It  keeps  one  well.     It  keeps  one 
young :  it  is  one  of  the  secrets  of  eternal  youth. 


THE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS.      27 


It  is  a  fancy  of  Swedenborg,  with  a  good  phi- 
losophy in  it,  that  in  heaven  the  oldest  angels  are 
the  youngest.  All  life  there  is  toward  youth. 
One  reason  must  be  that  all  life  there  is  cheerful 
and  joyous.  If  the  people  in  heaven  still  fretted, 
and  complained,  and  got  discouraged,  and  went 
about  with  heavy  hearts  and  long  faces,  cheerless 
and  despondent,  as  so  many  heaven-bound  pilgrims 
do  here,  they  would  get  very  old  by  the  time  they 
had  been  a  few  millenniums  in  heaven.  But  being 
always  of  good  cheer,  they  keep  always  young, 
growing  ever  toward  youth.  Even  here  on  the 
eartli,  too,  the  same  secret  holds  true,  that  abound- 
ing cheerfulness  keeps  one  young  in  spite  of 
advancing  years.  Thus  cheerfulness  carries  its 
reward  and  blessing  in  itself.  It  is  its  own  bene- 
diction. It  weaves  its  own  garment  of  beauty. 
It  builds  its  own  home  of  glory. 

Cheerfulness  also  blesses  others.  There  are 
people,  who,  no  doubt,  are  good,  —  God  loves  them, 
for  he  is  very  patient  and  longsuffering,  —  but  who 
make  life  harder  for  every  one  who  lives  close  to 
them.  They  are  as  depressing,  Avhen  they  are 
among  their  friends,  as  a  funeral  procession  as  it 
winds  its  way  through  the  streets.  They  are 
always  saying  discouraging  things.  If  you  in- 
quire after  their  health,  you  will  never  get  a 
hearty  answer,  assuring  you  without  qualification 


28       TUE  BLESSING   OF  CUEEIIFULXESS. 

that  tl.ey  are  well;    you  must   always   listen   to 
more  or  less  bemoaning  of  ills  or  unhealthy  symi> 
toms      Any  subject  of  conversation  you  may  start 
will    afford   them   an  opportunity  to   show   their 
general   gloominess.      There    is    a    lack    of    glad 
wholesomeness  in  all  their  intercourse  with  others. 
Wherever  they  go  they  carry  an  epide*n.c  of  d.s- 
heartenmcnt,  for  the  influence  of   one  such   life 
upon  others  is  simply  incalculable.     After  being 
for  a  few  moments  in  the  company  of  such  a  per- 
son you  suffer  for  hours  from  an  indefinable  sense 
of  depression,  perhaps  wondering  what  is  wrong 
with  you.     It  is  harder  for  you  to  live  after  stay- 
ing  even   a   little   while   in   such   an   enervating 

atmosphere. 

How   different    it    is   when   one    is    habitually 
cheerful '     Wherever  such  a  person  goes  he  car- 
ries gladness.     He  makes  it  easier  for  others  to 
live       He  puts  encouragement  into  the  heart  of 
every  one  he   meets.     When  you  ask  after  his 
health,  he  answers  you  in  a  happy,  cheerful  way 
that   quickens   your   own   pulses.      He    does   not 
burden  you  with  a  list  of  complaints.      He  does 
not  consider  it  necessary  to  tell  you  at  bre.ikfas 
how  poorly  he  rested,  how  many  hours  he  heard 
the  clock  strike  during  the  night,  or  any  of  the 
details  of  his  miserable  condition  this  morning. 
He  prefers  only  to  speak  of  cheerful  things,  not 


t 


TffE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS.      29 

staining  the   brightness  of  the   morning  for  you 
with  the  recital  of  any  of  his  own  discomforts. 

The  cheerful  man  carries  with  him  perpetually, 
in  his  presence  and  personality,  an  influence  that 
acts  upon  others  as  summer  warmth  on  the  fields 
and  forests.  It  wakes  up  and  calls  out  the  best 
that  is  in  them.  It  makes  them  stronger,  braver, 
and  happier.  Such  a  man  makes  a  little  spot  of 
this  world  a  lighter,  l)righter,  warmer  j)lace  for 
other  people  to  live  in.  To  meet  him  in  the  morn- 
ing is  to  get  inspiration  which  makes  all  the  day's 
struggles  and  tasks  easier.  His  hearty  hand-shake 
puts  a  thrill  of  new  vigor  into  your  veins.  After 
talking  with  him  for  a  few  minutes  you  feel  an 
exhilaration  of  spirits,  a  quickening  of  energy,  a 
renewal  of  zest  and  interest  in  living,  and  are 
ready  for  any  duty  or  service. 

The  blessing  of  one  such  cheerful  life  in  a  home 
is  immeasurable.  It  touches  all  the  household 
with  its  calming,  quieting  influence.  It  allays  the 
storms  of  perturbed  feeling  that  are  sure  to  sweep 
down  from  the  mountains  of  worldly  care  and  con- 
flict even  upon  the  sheltered  waters  of  home. 

Besides  the  silent  influence  of  cheerfulness,  a 
man  with  such  a  spirit  becomes  an  active  force  of 
good  cheer  wherever  he  goes.  When  he  meets  a 
discouraged  neighbor,  he  does  not  fall  in  with  the 
weak  bemoanings,  nor  pityingly  sympathize  with 


30     Tiw:  r.LEssiya  of  cueeufulness. 

the   dislioarten.nont.      Sympathy   is   good,  but   it 
must  <lo  more  than  listen  patiently  to  the  recital 
of   trouble;    it    m^lst    seek    to   put   a   little   new 
stren-'th   into   the   sad   and   weary   heart.     Your 
truest  and  best  friend  may  not  take  your  burden   . 
away,  but  he  makes  you  better  able  to  bear  it. 
This  the  cheerful  man  seeks  always  to  do.     He 
listens  to  human  complainings,  but  tries  to  kmdlo 
new  hope  or  courage  in  those  who  are  bowed  down. 
He  goes  into  the  home  of  sorrow,  not  merely  to 
.veep  with  those  who  weep,  but  to  whisper  some 
secret  of  comfort,  which  will  make  the  mourners 
stron-cr  ,.,  ...dure  their   grief.      He  meets  other 
„,en  who  are  bowing  under  heavy  loads,  and  does 
not  consider  that  he  has  done  his  whole  duty  to 
them  when  he  has  commiserated  them  on  their 
hard  condition,  but  seeks  in  some  way  to  be  help- 
ful  to  them,  to  put  a  little  fresh  courage  into  their 

The  ministry  of    such   cheerfulness    along   the 
years  leaves  blessing  at  every  step.     Its  value  m 
the  lives  of  men  is  simply  incalculable.     It  is  ^vell 
worth  .vhile  to  live   such   a   life.     Its  crown    of 
.lory  in  the  world  to  come  will  be  very  bright. 
^  There  is  need  always  for  such  ministry.     This 
world  is  full  of  disheartenment.     For  the  majority 
of  people  life  is  not  easy.     ^'  In  the  world  ye  shall 
have  tribulation,"  is  not  too  sombre  a  prophecy  to 


THE  BLESSIXG   OF  CHEERFULNESS.      31 

be  spoken  as  we  go  out  into  life.     All  about  us, 
any   common   day,    there   are    sobbings   of   grief, 
groanings  of   overburdened  hearts,  cries  of   pain 
and  anguish,  from  those  who  are  in   dark  Geth- 
semanes.     Tliere  is  need  always  for  human  help. 
It  is  not  possible,  ordinarily,  to  change  the  hard 
conditions  of  those  who  are  in  life's  stress ;  but  it 
is  possible  to  give  them  brotherly  sympathy  and 
encouragement.      The   cup   was   not   taken   away 
from  Jesus,  but  an  angel  from   heaven  appeared 
and  strengthened  him.     Ko  other  ministry  which 
human  love  can  render  is  so  angel-like  as  that  of 
liim  who  gives  cheer.      Those  who  have  learned 
this    lesson   are    indeed    ministering   spirits    sent 
forth  to  do  service  for  the  sake  of  them  wdio  shall 
inherit  salvation. 

There  is  a   beautiful   legend  which  tells  how, 
long  centuries  ago,  in  a  sombre  forest,  some  moss 
began  to  grow^     The  sunshine  warmed  it,  and  it 
spread  until  it  formed  a  soft,  rich  carpet  of  bright 
hue.     One  day  Jesus,  coming  out  of   the  wilder- 
ness, passed  through  this  old  forest,  with  feet  torn 
and    bleeding  from  the  rough  way  by  which  he 
had  come.     His  path  led  over  this  carpet  of  moss ; 
and  as  his  bruised  and  Aveary  feet  w^alked  on  it 
they  were    soothed,   refreshed,   and   rested  by  its 
gentle  softness.     Grateful  for  the  comfort  which 
he   had  received,   Jesus,    from   his   loving   heart, 


32 


TUE  BLESSING   OF  CHEERFULNESS. 


littered  words  wliicli  made  the  moss  holy  for  all 
time :    "  Thou  shalt  be  blessed  for  ever,  o'er  every 
plant  that    grows/'     Then   forth  from  the  green 
bosom   of   the  moss  there  sprang  a  perfect  rose. 
This  is  only  a  legend ;  but  in  its  tender  beauty 
we  can  get  a  sweet  lesson  —  that  the  Christ  honors 
always  and  everywhere  the  gentle  thoughtfulness 
which  makes   the  way  easior  for  any  tired  one. 
We  are  in  this  world  to  bk-bs  uLucio.     If  we  can 
spread   a   carpet   of    moss    for   any    bruised    and 
weary  f.-t.  wo  are  sure  of  the  ))enediction  of  the 
Christ.     ^ulIi  sweet  ministry  we  can  render  every 
day.      Evermore  elesus  is  passing  in  the  persons 
of  his  little  ones.     The  paths  are  rough,  and  feet 
bleed  as  tlicv  walk  over  them.     He  who  lives  to 
give  cheer  and  hope  and  strength  will  receive  the 
Master's  blessing. 


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